Connecter for antiskid chains



July 7, 1925. 1,545,152

F. M COLLUM, JR

CONNECTER FOR ANTISKID CHAINS Filgd Jan. 16, 1924 gwucm to! en/WM mtgammy Patented July 7, 1925.

7 1,545,152 arana" orriea.

FENELON MGGDLLUMJB OF MANSFIELD DEPOT, CONNECTICUT.

connno'rnn non ANTISKID CHATNS.

Application filed January 18, 1924. Serial No. 686,485.

To all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, FnNnLoN MoGoLLUM, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mansfield Depot, in the county of Tolland, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Connecter for Antiskid Chains,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to anti-skid chains-"of the sort disclosed in my co-pending. application Serial No. 622,005, filed March 1st, 1923. My improved chain disclosed in said application comprises a pair of side chains, one of which is in two sections, a plurality of cross chains connecting the side chains, and a hook or the like for detachably joiningtogether the two sections 7 of the side chain and the end of one of the cross chains.

The present invention concerns, more par ticularly, the connecter for connecting together the parts of the separable side chain and the cross chain. The aim of the invention is to provide a connecter having va-' rious features of novelty and advantage and which is characterized by its extreme simplicity in construction, the economy with which it may be manufactured, the ease with Whichit maybe applied to the chain parts, and the readiness *with which the chain parts may be detached therefrom. Also, by, the security with which the connecter holds the partstogether.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Theinventiou accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemphfied 1n the construction hereinafter setforth, and thescope of the applicaf tion ofwhich will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, I

Figure 1 indicates the manner in which a chain provided with my improved connecter is placed on an automobile or similar wheel;

Fig.2 is a side elevation of the connecter with portions of the chains connected there- Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line of Fig. 2 and shows the relation'of the connecter and the links assooiate'd therewith to an automobile tire when the chain is in place; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrates the connecter as having been turned to a position where the link or hook of the cross chain can be disengaged therefrom.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and, more, particularly, to Fig. 1, the anti-skid device or chain is shown as having a pair of SlClB chains 1 and 2 which are adapted to extend circumferentially of the wheel b at the sides of the tire. The side chains are connected by cross chains 3 which are composed of links'of any suitable type. In the drawing, the links of the chains are shown more or less diagrammatically, it being understood that any suitable form of link may be employed. The side chains are provided at one end with the usual hooks for securing the ends of the chain together after the chain hasbeen placed around the periphery of the tire. For the purpose fully described in my said copending application, one of the side chains is separable between its ends: that is, it is formed in two sections. 0 and (Z which are detachably fastened together by a connecter A. This connecter A also provides means for securing one end of a cross chain 3 to the side chain 2. lVith this arrangement, in the event that the wheel is in a rut or the like so that it is not possible to lay'the chain on the ground and then roll the wheel thereonto, the side chain 1, as

shown in Fig. 1, may be, laid at one sideof the wheel, preferably on the inner side, and

sections 0 and d are joined together on'the opposite side of the tire by means of the connecter A. The ends of the anti-skid chain are then hooked together, after which power may be applied to the wheel to extricate the car from the rut or other diflioulty.

Thereafter, without removing the chain from the tire, the hook of the cross chain is hooked over the shank of the connecter.

My improved connecter A for securing the sections 0 and d of the side chain 2 and thecross chain 3' together has a shank portion 10 provided at one endwith an eye or circularly formed hook 11 and at the other end with an'elongated hook portion 12. If desired, the connecter may be cast, but, preferably, it is formed from a piece of round stock out to the desired length and then having its ends bent over towards each other. The free end of the eye 11 is sufiiciently dEse to the shank portion 10 to prevent the end .hookportion l2is adapted to detachablyreceive the link dof the other section .0? of the chainfl. The shank of thewconnecter below the space 16 between the .ends f the hook ,portion JQand the-eye .11- is flattened out ,as .at .14 so thatit is of less thickness than width. The cross chain 3' has :ahook l5 iat its end which :may he formed "of a .metalrod bent back upon itself itoaform :a loop adapted to 'eceive' the end linkof the crosschain, and the ends of the rod are .turnedbackso as'to form a hooked portion .15. Thezentifancelor'throatof this hooked ,portion, that is the space between the ,free

' endsof the rodandthe body portion-thereof, ..is.slightlygreater than the thicknessof the fflattened portion :14 ofthe shank of the connecter so thatthe hook 15 will slip over the flattened portion .of the shank when the connecteris in the position shownvin Fig. 4. The flattened -portion;of .the shank'iis greater in width than the throat ;ot' ,the hooked portion 15 so that when the parts are iinthe=positionshown in Fig. 3. the hook cannot become disengaged from. .the con- Qnecter. The space 16 between the eye.1;1 and wheehiit is merely necessary itous wing the: :cross chain. in' position over -the.,t1re, turn -the tree end of the hooked port-ion l2 is pieferablylesstlran the width of the hooked portion 715' so that whentheparts 1&1'8 .as- .se1nbled,:the hook .15 will, prevent the link xi" from becoming disengaged from zthe connector, asshownhy dotted lines Fig. 2.

FJI'OITIthG foregoing ,descniption, it will .be*-seen.that to join tl1e hookl5 otthe cross .chain to :the connector, after .the anti skid chain, asn WllOl6,";l121S been-applied toa gthe-connecter .to the position shown insFi-g.

-nectar is released, it .will gswing back into the position shown iiLFi'gUB; that.is, it.cwill \beinua pl-aner-whichsisparallel to. the plane of the wheel. henit.isdesired to disconnect: thechain at. the connector, the latter (is. turned :to. the ..position :shown in jg. 4, the. hook p15 "is disengaged there-from, and I then: the i-link d. .the-hookl5 heingout of ithe way, icannbet-disengaged from the-connect-er.

lIt)lklSvClQtlT' thlat-hly i-mproved hook is of very simple; *fonmwand; therefore, anay' be .ananufactured andsold at "a" very ilowscost. ;By' its use the severalpfortions ofgtheichain will be connected together in a short space oi time and with littleor no inconvenience;

also, they may be just as readily detached from the connector. After the parts have beenasscmbled, accidental detachment cannot take place. The hook 15 closes the throat 16 of the connector so that the link d rannot slip through this throat. The book 15 cannot becomedisengaged because the flattened portion 14 of the connector is of greater width than the throatof the ,hook

elongated hooked portion at :eacl1;end,said

hooked portions being adapted to respectively receive Ilinks on, the ends ofthechain sections, the ends of said ihooked portions of said connector being spaced part at ailess .distancethan :the width. of the hook of the cross chain, whereby said hook prevents .the link associated with at least one of said shocking portions from disengaging therefrom. r

2. In combination, a pair of linksmnd a hook, o-fza connecter comprising ashank having; a lhooked portion at'eachend, one of said hooked portionsgbeing adapted tomeceive one link, the other hooked portion the other link, ;and said shanksaid hook, theiends of said hookediportionsbeing spaced apart at .a {distance iless1than the width of being flattened so that,.;in thickness, itis less than the throat of the hook and in width it is greater than thet-h-roat of the hook.

3. A- connector for joining together vtwo sections of acchain anda crosschain and comprising a shank portion having" an :elongat-ed hooked portion at one end andian ;eye' at t the other end, said @eye {adapted i-to ,reoeivepa :link =oni-one of said chaimsections, 7 (said elongatedhookadapted to receiven think 4, and :then slip.the. hook over the-flattened ,portion of the connector. When :the conon .the other of said sections, and said Shfllk being adapted to receive a hook on thecross chain, the ends otsaid eye; and! hooked portion ofsaidi-connecterbeing; spaced apart .at

a less distancethan the width. of-thedmok 1 off-said cross chain, wherehycsaidhook ,pre-

vents-the link associatedwrithlsaid hooked portionatbeing disengaged. therefrom.

A. In combination: with-an anti-skid ohain comprisingwaapair -of,:side chains one :of

which is in two sections and a crosschain having aihookcat onenend, ofsa connector having a .shank portion with-an eye ut one end and; a hookedportionaatdthe other. end, .sa-i-cl eye rbeing adapted .to receivem link'on one of said sections,- said hooked portion said hook, and said shank portion adapted to detachably receive said hook of said cross link, said shank being flattened so that it is of less dimension in the plane of the hook than in a plane transverse thereto,

7 the space between said eye and the end of said hooked portion being less than the Width of said hook, whereby said hook is prevented from detachment from said connecter When the latter is in a predetermined angular position relative thereto and said hook prevents the link associated With said hook portion from being accidentally detached therefrom.

FENELON MGCOLLUM, JR, 

